I stand up this afternoon on behalf of the Rural Independents to ask again to extend the slurry-spreading deadline at least to the end of October. I have already asked for this and we got a week last week. We acknowledged that from the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. We have another week today. Look at the weather we have had this year. I do not want to stand up here week in, week out asking about this. Farmers have had a very difficult time with costs over the past two years but the weather this year has been so unsuitable. Land is saturated in the Golden Vale, not to mind other parts of the country. This is very serious. Why can we not give it to the end of October at least and let the farmers empty the tanks before all the animals go in? Some have gone in already because of the bad weather. This is a serious issue. It looks pathetic to be extending it a week and a week. It should never have been on the basis of calendar dates from the outset; it should have been on the basis of climatic conditions. All farmers do that. They will not spread slurry if the weather is not suitable. We need to be practical here, get that calendar issue off the table and allow people to spread their manure when it is safe to do and when it is best for land.

Today, the decision has been made by Government, through the interdepartmental group involving the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Housing, Local Government and Heritage to extend the slurry-spreading season for an extra week to 15 October. That international departmental group makes its decisions based on science, based on grass growth-----

Not science, the ground is wet.

-----based on soil and based on rain fall. We know the pressure the farmers are under but we also know that very good weather is coming this weekend and that most farmers were working on the basis of 1 October. This extra time was needed because of the bad weather in September and 15 October is the latest we can extend it to.

The last week.

It will dry overnight.